4 ms·

FreeBSD Foundation executive director tries daily driving FreeBSD on laptop

94 points by Bender 5mo ago

bombcar 5mo ago
Ten minutes a day is a daily driver? Short commute!
- cryo32 5mo ago
  I am wondering if she only does 10 minutes of work a day :)
866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
Oh my god this lady should be running a pet shop. She's had this role since 2005 and is only now dogfooding the software for 10 minutes a day? Stunning and brave. Imagine Linus Torvalds or Theo from OpenBSD using Windows out of convenience. Unthinkable.
- thayne 5mo ago
  It's possible she used it on a server. But yeah...
  - 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
    I knew people running FreeBSD on the desktop back in 2003. If it was good enough for them then... Could they not scrounge up enough cash for a Thinkpad in the last 20 years?
    - type0 5mo ago
      I tried FreeBSD on tower pc in 2003, it's not that it was completely unusable it but compared to Linux it was like night and day. Now it's still not perfect, more like midnight and evening.
      - deleted 5mo ago
        [deleted]
      - TallGuyShort 5mo ago
        I used FreeBSD on a laptop 2008-2010 and it was usable, other than needing a USB Wifi adapter. Definitely not as usable as Linux, but I was able to do 18 credit hours per semester. Quite a lot more than 10 minutes a day. Notably, you and I aren't FreeBSD Foundation Executive Directors.
      - Milpotel 5mo ago
        I ran it on my desktop at that time and only had to switch to Linux because FreeBSD 5.0 wasn't compatible with my machine anymore.
  - mvanbaak 5mo ago
    this. I have been running FreeBSD for over a decade, but not on my laptop.
- stackghost 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
    > Not to interrupt the predictable HN hates women train but Oh rubbish. When you're the head of something, you're paid to use their products if not for anything but image purposes. Do you think the head of GM drives around in a Mustang?
    - stackghost 5mo ago
      >Oh rubbish. Nah, it's not rubbish. The comments on just about any article featuring a woman in a tech leadership position are always the same here. >When you're the head of something, you're paid to use their products if not for anything but image purposes. Again you conveniently leave out the "on a laptop" qualifier. 10 minutes a day is about all I could tolerate of BSD on a laptop too.
      - 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
        > Again you conveniently leave out the "on a laptop" qualifier. If your hangup really is "Unless you're using it plugged in at all times" well, she is the Executive Director. I'm sure they can pay an intern to follow her around at all times with a really long extension cord.
        stackghost 5mo ago
        No I'm saying that concluding that she doesn't use FreeBSD simply because she doesn't use it on a laptop, especially considering how poor the laptop experience is, is stupid. I have three machines in my basement running freeBSD right now, and if I was the director of the foundation I wouldn't daily drive it on a laptop either.
    - cperciva 5mo ago
      the head of something Note that "FreeBSD Foundation" != "FreeBSD Project". Obviously they're connected, but the FreeBSD Foundation supports the FreeBSD Project; they don't direct it. Governance of the FreeBSD Project vests in the FreeBSD core team, which is elected by FreeBSD developers; and as a FreeBSD developer I'm far more concerned with what OS members of the core team run than I am with what OS members of the Foundation run.
- phendrenad2 5mo ago
  Really setting the bar low there aintcha? If Torvald's Linux use is the benchmark then we're doomed. Aren't there ample quotes from him by now where he basically says he only cares about coding and doesn't have strong opinions about GUIs? Is Theo any better in that aspect?
  - gus_massa 5mo ago
    IIRC, he cares about not breaking userspace, because he is runing the bleeding edge in his main computer and any bacward incompatible change breaks linusspace.
- sedatk 5mo ago
  CEO of Take-Two Interactive (Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption 2, Borderlands, NBA2K) doesn't play any games. https://fortune.com/2026/05/06/ceo-take-two-interactive-software-strauss-zelnick-doesnt-play-video-games-grand-theft-auto-vi/ https://fortune.com/2026/05/06/ceo-take-two-interactive-soft...
  - readthenotes1 5mo ago
    He looks like he plays a lot of golf
  - SoftTalker 5mo ago
    The CEOs of big US tech companies don't let their kids use screens (or curate it to a high degree).
    - red-iron-pine 5mo ago
      i believe you. link me
- ndiddy 5mo ago
  There was a bit of a controversy a few years ago when people realized that the head of the Linux Foundation was using Mac OS to give a presentation at a conference (especially ironic considering the presentation was about using Linux on the desktop). If the FreeBSD Foundation is similar to the Linux Foundation (which seems to be the case from looking at their site), it's mainly intended as a vehicle so large companies can fund aspects of the system they want developed rather than an ideologically driven organization like the FSF. From that perspective, an executive actually trying to run FreeBSD is a nice thing to see. It's been a running joke for years that when you look at a FreeBSD conference you'll see all the developers running it in a VM on their MacBooks, so if they're treating bare metal as more of a priority I think it's a positive development.
  - stefan_ 5mo ago
    If only the Linux Foundation was primarily funding development of Linux, it's hard to describe what it is they are doing exactly, but it's a bit like a social club for Middle Managers and other insignificant people, building ecosystems^TM, connections and synergies^TM, and of course the Linux brand. Starting initiatives and such. Gaze upon a premier Linux Foundation project: https://www.canton.network/global-synchronizer https://www.canton.network/global-synchronizer
    - dgellow 5mo ago
      Thanks for pointing that out, I had no idea the Linux foundation was in the blockchain grift. Case studies like this one is such a bad look: https://www.lfdecentralizedtrust.org/case-studies/establishing-a-new-foundation-for-trust-how-besu-helps-governments-meet-citizen-needs-while-rebuilding-credibility https://www.lfdecentralizedtrust.org/case-studies/establishi... Like, seriously, try to read this page content and understand what it is about.
dnautics 5mo ago
With ~zero unix experience (I was moving from BeOS), I ran FreeBSD full time as a chemistry grad student from 2003-2009, on a Dell XPS, and mostly had no problems. What's changed? (I'm interested in leaving linux and going to FreeBSD)
- cryo32 5mo ago
  Well the problem is not a lot. It's pretty much like being in 2009 still. Which is fine if you didn't adopt a huge amount of technology changes since. I mean I quite like the todo list that comes with my phone and computer and syncs flawlessly between the two of them. Ships with none of that shit.
- red-iron-pine 5mo ago
  > (I was moving from BeOS) homie is saying a lot about themselves and less about FreeBSD
neko_ranger 5mo ago
how is this not the most embarrassing thing ever?
jcoder 5mo ago
I'll never understand why people think this looks human: What Made This Time Different This time, I didn't just install FreeBSD. I created a system for learning and success. Clear goal: FreeBSD as my daily driver Daily habit: 10 minutes minimum Accountability: post the journey on Linkedin Gee, why not let the agent try FreeBSD for you and do the posting directly
- 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
  > This time, I didn't just install FreeBSD Well, rms has never installed Linux so that's a step forward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQL37AC_YM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQL37AC_YM
  - tosti 5mo ago
    Linux isn't his thing. But he also didn't install GNU.
    - 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
      It's a funny video but his stance is quite principled, as he refuses to use any non-free software even if it's horribly inconvenient. Which is the exact opposite of what we have here.
      - tosti 5mo ago
        That's because if you trade freedom for convenience, you'll end up having neither.
- sunshine-o 5mo ago
  Because those type of people are actually some type of narcissist powerpoint bots. Only interested in their "journey" and putting that next to a picture (of herself probably) climbing a mountain. Here is what should worry everybody who care about FreeBSD and the "foundation", it seems it is being run into the ground [0] > The board has said the deficit spending is intentional. They are drawing on reserves to invest more in the project, which makes sense in principle. > But at roughly the 2024 burn rate, the reserve fund might last about 4 to 5 years. > One thing that caught my attention is that the EU Cyber Resilience Act starts in September 2026, and the Foundation already has six workstreams running to prepare for it. That kind of work costs money, and right now a lot of it seems to be funded from the same reserves that are shrinking. This is also why you are hearing thing like FreeBSD "is investing in laptop support" or a KDE installer. But this is not what is gonna "save" FreeBSD. People get interested and choose FreeBSD because it a great server OS, because of the ZFS support, jails, PF, stability and the coherent system overall. They would do more for adoption by just making sure most VPS hosting services have it as an option along Linux than wasting infinite money on supporting "laptops". See also [1], people are getting tired of that level of hypocrisy and waste of money. - [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/ive_been_going_through_the_freebsd_foundations/ https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/ive_been_g... - [1] https://unixdigest.com/articles/hypocrisy-and-politics-in-free-and-open-source-software-projects.html https://unixdigest.com/articles/hypocrisy-and-politics-in-fr...
calvinmorrison 5mo ago
whats more embarassing is the shit tier presentation slop. "This time I didnt just install FreeBSD. I create a system for learning and success". Anyone who wrote this has no business with FreeBSD or open source.
dburkland 5mo ago
As soon as I saw the title I immediately knew what the comment section would look like (and rightfully so).
dogcow 5mo ago
As a long time FreeBSD user, the Foundation has really failed to impress me in recent years. I lost faith in them back in 2018 during the "code of conduct" fiasco, when they wasted Foundation funds on a consultant for a code of conduct that nobody really asked for. Haven't donated since -- instead I redirected my donations to the OpenBSD project, which while less practical in many scenarios, is a technically superior product in my eyes. That said, I am glad to see them focusing their efforts on something useful, like laptop compatibility. Regardless, this is a really dumb post. 10 minutes a day is not "daily driving."
- deleted 5mo ago
  [deleted]
- sunshine-o 5mo ago
  According to [0] (I couldn't verify it to be clear) > Loren Gurkowski is the daughter of Deb Goodkin. > Her brother Drew Gurkowski started working for the FreeBSD Foundation as an intern in 2015 and continued as a consultant starting in 2018, until December 2024. If you founded a company I have no problem hiring yours kids. If you are elected or running a non profit relying on donations, you really have to be shameless to do that. - [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/comment/o9v90j5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/comment/o9...
phyzix5761 5mo ago
What a joke. When the Executive Director of your Foundation doesn't even use your product its a red flag.
- jen20 5mo ago
  … what a ludicrous take. If FreeBSD was a desktop OS this might be reasonable, but it’s simply not. This is akin to complaining that the executive director of the Linux Foundation (I assume) does not run Kubernetes on their toaster oven.
- baq 5mo ago
  Would you ridicule Eddy Cue and Jeff Robin (heads of iCloud, kinda) for not running iCloud on macOS?
  - sph 5mo ago
    Would you not?
- Danox 5mo ago
  What is more of a joke is the fact that I remember a time when there were multiple computer companies that designed hardware and software (OS) and actually sold those items to the public 1980s early-late 1990’s all those companies are gone IBM (is but a shadow of its former self), Sun, Digital, Atari, Commodore Amiga, Next, Acorn, and SGI etc… At the time Next and SGI were completely unaffordable dreams when I was young. For the most part, no one has really picked up the gauntlet since aside from Apple on the desktop as a vertical computer company. Of course, pieces of the tech still live on notably from Next computers, Acorn (ARM) and SGI. I wish someone would use Linux as part of being a new vertical computer company OS and hardware on the desktop. Why? Baffling.
lowbloodsugar 5mo ago
Tried “a daily driver for at least 10 minutes a day”. lol. That’s not the definition of a daily driver. Thats something I really don’t want to do, like pushups.
DeathArrow 5mo ago
[flagged]
- grigio 5mo ago
  +1
- stackghost 5mo ago
  She's a former embedded firmware engineer, how much more technically inclined would you like her to be?
ksec 5mo ago
I mean I am happy if they kept FreeBSD to be Server focused. I have been using a Mac / Windows and deploying on Linux and FreeBSD, i don't see why both the consumer and the server / enterprise has to have the same OS stack all the time.
- ssl-3 5mo ago
  I don't see why the operating systems have to be different. One should be able to run a GUI on a "server," if they choose to do so. It's not arduous; here in 2026, servers are allowed to have GPUs. It's really OK. (My mom says we're even allowed to run LLMs on the FreeBSD server-box in her basement.) One should be able to run a stodgy, reliable database on a "desktop," if they choose to do so. That may be best with a good filesystem, redundant storage, and some ECC RAM. But it's good for desktop systems to have these things. (And ZFS is a built-in, first-class filesystem on FreeBSD.) I mean... It's not like we're talking about the difference between an IBM Multiprise 2000 and an SGI Octane here. Those days are over. We're mostly just using PCs for all roles these days. These PCs run the same code in the same ways, whether packaged and sold as "server" or "desktop" units. The CPU parts are frequently even cut from the same literal cloth: A "desktop" Ryzen CCD and a "server" Epyc CCD are born on the same wafer before being packaged up differently. The line betwixt server hardware and desktop hardware is presently murkier and less-defined than it ever has been before. Why should the operating system be different?
  - em-bee 5mo ago
    on a server a GUI is optional. on a desktop/laptop a GUI is mandatory. supporting a GUI is more work. so if you are server focused, then why bother? making that effort only makes sense when you actually do want to also support desktops. and of course you can use a desktop device as a server. all my home servers so far have been desktop devices. but they never had a GUI because i had no use for it.
    - ksec 5mo ago
      Agree. Other than drivers, which Server OS will have less to deal with. I also wanted other point out GUI is the majority of the work and polish on consumer OS. Far more than what ever kernel, driver, filesystem sitting behind it. And that is ignoring the apps. Consumer OS is basically totally different beast, it is not that I don't want FreeBSD to go down that path. But given the limited amount of resources I would much rather they focus on doing something great.
polynomial 5mo ago
This is horrifying on so many levels even if you don't already know how the story ends.
AshamedCaptain 5mo ago
Ironically, drm-612-kmod has been pushed to ports a couple days ago (not quarterly yet) so you can now start using FreeBSD with really recent GPUs now from ... let's see ... 2024. This still makes it like the 3rd operating system overall when it comes to hardware support.
- baq 5mo ago
  That’s plenty good, it isn’t like anyone has the money to buy a new GPU
jruohonen 5mo ago
Does anyone know about power consumption? That's where Linux shines for laptops (probably nowadays better than Windows). (I have some old laptops, and as someone posted the other day the interesting thing about someone having LLM'ed a 802.11 driver, I'd might give it a go.)
netrap 5mo ago
FreeBSD does not have a desktop installer yet.. the powerpoint alludes to that being a coming feature though.. I think people here should chill out about her not using FreeBSD as the daily driver.. I use FreeBSD daily in my work, but no, I don't on desktop...
binary132 5mo ago
The writing is so on the nose it makes me wonder if Michael is mocking her.
nathanmills 5mo ago
[flagged]
WhyNotHugo 5mo ago
> FreeBSD Foundation's Executive Director has been trying to daily drive FreeBSD on laptops This sounds like a joke. Imagine if Bill gates said "he's going to try and daily drive Windows", or if Steve Jobs said "he's going to try and daily drive an iPhone". It seems crazy to me that a foundation behind an OS has executives who don't even use that OS.
- beng-nl 5mo ago
  Bill Gates: not perfectly ‘daily drives Windows’, but still: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41421018 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41421018
grigio 5mo ago
I understand the rants, but my main complain about freebsd today for me is the poor wifi firmware support (compared to Linux)
knewter 5mo ago
https://omfreebdy.dba.wtf https://omfreebdy.dba.wtf idk freebsd can be super nice on a laptop
daft_pink 5mo ago
Can Linux get the Mac level of close the shell and the battery doesn’t deplete on a laptop if you order a framework?
- woleium 5mo ago
  yes
- budman1 5mo ago
  I am ashamed to say that my mind could not understand these 'mac behaviors'. in my mind, closing the shell does not mean 'shut down the machine (or make it standby). maybe i have a job running. maybe i am ssh'ed into it. likewise, when it is opened up, why does it un-standby or turn on? very confusing that the computer thinks it knows what i want; when i can push the power button to turn it on, or /sbin/shutdown -h now when i want it off.
wltr 5mo ago
Today I learned the FreeBSD Foundation executive does not daily drive FreeBSD on laptop. (Without even opening the article.) This alone looks exceptionally weird for me.
red-iron-pine 5mo ago
> she tried FreeBSD as a daily driver for at least 10 minutes a day. > at least 10 minutes a day. > 10 minutes a day. this is a story? and she can only handle dogfooding her product in sub 1 hour intervals?

94 points by Bender 5mo ago

bombcar 5mo ago

Ten minutes a day is a daily driver? Short commute!

cryo32 5mo ago
I am wondering if she only does 10 minutes of work a day :)

866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago

Oh my god this lady should be running a pet shop. She's had this role since 2005 and is only now dogfooding the software for 10 minutes a day? Stunning and brave. Imagine Linus Torvalds or Theo from OpenBSD using Windows out of convenience. Unthinkable.

thayne 5mo ago
It's possible she used it on a server. But yeah...
- 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
  I knew people running FreeBSD on the desktop back in 2003. If it was good enough for them then... Could they not scrounge up enough cash for a Thinkpad in the last 20 years?
  - type0 5mo ago
    I tried FreeBSD on tower pc in 2003, it's not that it was completely unusable it but compared to Linux it was like night and day. Now it's still not perfect, more like midnight and evening.
    - deleted 5mo ago
      [deleted]
    - TallGuyShort 5mo ago
      I used FreeBSD on a laptop 2008-2010 and it was usable, other than needing a USB Wifi adapter. Definitely not as usable as Linux, but I was able to do 18 credit hours per semester. Quite a lot more than 10 minutes a day. Notably, you and I aren't FreeBSD Foundation Executive Directors.
    - Milpotel 5mo ago
      I ran it on my desktop at that time and only had to switch to Linux because FreeBSD 5.0 wasn't compatible with my machine anymore.
- mvanbaak 5mo ago
  this. I have been running FreeBSD for over a decade, but not on my laptop.
stackghost 5mo ago
[flagged]
- 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
  > Not to interrupt the predictable HN hates women train but Oh rubbish. When you're the head of something, you're paid to use their products if not for anything but image purposes. Do you think the head of GM drives around in a Mustang?
  - stackghost 5mo ago
    >Oh rubbish. Nah, it's not rubbish. The comments on just about any article featuring a woman in a tech leadership position are always the same here. >When you're the head of something, you're paid to use their products if not for anything but image purposes. Again you conveniently leave out the "on a laptop" qualifier. 10 minutes a day is about all I could tolerate of BSD on a laptop too.
    - 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
      > Again you conveniently leave out the "on a laptop" qualifier. If your hangup really is "Unless you're using it plugged in at all times" well, she is the Executive Director. I'm sure they can pay an intern to follow her around at all times with a really long extension cord.
      - stackghost 5mo ago
        No I'm saying that concluding that she doesn't use FreeBSD simply because she doesn't use it on a laptop, especially considering how poor the laptop experience is, is stupid. I have three machines in my basement running freeBSD right now, and if I was the director of the foundation I wouldn't daily drive it on a laptop either.
  - cperciva 5mo ago
    the head of something Note that "FreeBSD Foundation" != "FreeBSD Project". Obviously they're connected, but the FreeBSD Foundation supports the FreeBSD Project; they don't direct it. Governance of the FreeBSD Project vests in the FreeBSD core team, which is elected by FreeBSD developers; and as a FreeBSD developer I'm far more concerned with what OS members of the core team run than I am with what OS members of the Foundation run.
phendrenad2 5mo ago
Really setting the bar low there aintcha? If Torvald's Linux use is the benchmark then we're doomed. Aren't there ample quotes from him by now where he basically says he only cares about coding and doesn't have strong opinions about GUIs? Is Theo any better in that aspect?
- gus_massa 5mo ago
  IIRC, he cares about not breaking userspace, because he is runing the bleeding edge in his main computer and any bacward incompatible change breaks linusspace.
sedatk 5mo ago
CEO of Take-Two Interactive (Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption 2, Borderlands, NBA2K) doesn't play any games. https://fortune.com/2026/05/06/ceo-take-two-interactive-software-strauss-zelnick-doesnt-play-video-games-grand-theft-auto-vi/ https://fortune.com/2026/05/06/ceo-take-two-interactive-soft...
- readthenotes1 5mo ago
  He looks like he plays a lot of golf
- SoftTalker 5mo ago
  The CEOs of big US tech companies don't let their kids use screens (or curate it to a high degree).
  - red-iron-pine 5mo ago
    i believe you. link me
ndiddy 5mo ago
There was a bit of a controversy a few years ago when people realized that the head of the Linux Foundation was using Mac OS to give a presentation at a conference (especially ironic considering the presentation was about using Linux on the desktop). If the FreeBSD Foundation is similar to the Linux Foundation (which seems to be the case from looking at their site), it's mainly intended as a vehicle so large companies can fund aspects of the system they want developed rather than an ideologically driven organization like the FSF. From that perspective, an executive actually trying to run FreeBSD is a nice thing to see. It's been a running joke for years that when you look at a FreeBSD conference you'll see all the developers running it in a VM on their MacBooks, so if they're treating bare metal as more of a priority I think it's a positive development.
- stefan_ 5mo ago
  If only the Linux Foundation was primarily funding development of Linux, it's hard to describe what it is they are doing exactly, but it's a bit like a social club for Middle Managers and other insignificant people, building ecosystems^TM, connections and synergies^TM, and of course the Linux brand. Starting initiatives and such. Gaze upon a premier Linux Foundation project: https://www.canton.network/global-synchronizer https://www.canton.network/global-synchronizer
  - dgellow 5mo ago
    Thanks for pointing that out, I had no idea the Linux foundation was in the blockchain grift. Case studies like this one is such a bad look: https://www.lfdecentralizedtrust.org/case-studies/establishing-a-new-foundation-for-trust-how-besu-helps-governments-meet-citizen-needs-while-rebuilding-credibility https://www.lfdecentralizedtrust.org/case-studies/establishi... Like, seriously, try to read this page content and understand what it is about.

dnautics 5mo ago

With ~zero unix experience (I was moving from BeOS), I ran FreeBSD full time as a chemistry grad student from 2003-2009, on a Dell XPS, and mostly had no problems. What's changed? (I'm interested in leaving linux and going to FreeBSD)

cryo32 5mo ago
Well the problem is not a lot. It's pretty much like being in 2009 still. Which is fine if you didn't adopt a huge amount of technology changes since. I mean I quite like the todo list that comes with my phone and computer and syncs flawlessly between the two of them. Ships with none of that shit.
red-iron-pine 5mo ago
> (I was moving from BeOS) homie is saying a lot about themselves and less about FreeBSD

neko_ranger 5mo ago

how is this not the most embarrassing thing ever?

jcoder 5mo ago

I'll never understand why people think this looks human: What Made This Time Different This time, I didn't just install FreeBSD. I created a system for learning and success. Clear goal: FreeBSD as my daily driver Daily habit: 10 minutes minimum Accountability: post the journey on Linkedin Gee, why not let the agent try FreeBSD for you and do the posting directly

866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
> This time, I didn't just install FreeBSD Well, rms has never installed Linux so that's a step forward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQL37AC_YM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQL37AC_YM
- tosti 5mo ago
  Linux isn't his thing. But he also didn't install GNU.
  - 866-RON-0-FEZ 5mo ago
    It's a funny video but his stance is quite principled, as he refuses to use any non-free software even if it's horribly inconvenient. Which is the exact opposite of what we have here.
    - tosti 5mo ago
      That's because if you trade freedom for convenience, you'll end up having neither.
sunshine-o 5mo ago
Because those type of people are actually some type of narcissist powerpoint bots. Only interested in their "journey" and putting that next to a picture (of herself probably) climbing a mountain. Here is what should worry everybody who care about FreeBSD and the "foundation", it seems it is being run into the ground [0] > The board has said the deficit spending is intentional. They are drawing on reserves to invest more in the project, which makes sense in principle. > But at roughly the 2024 burn rate, the reserve fund might last about 4 to 5 years. > One thing that caught my attention is that the EU Cyber Resilience Act starts in September 2026, and the Foundation already has six workstreams running to prepare for it. That kind of work costs money, and right now a lot of it seems to be funded from the same reserves that are shrinking. This is also why you are hearing thing like FreeBSD "is investing in laptop support" or a KDE installer. But this is not what is gonna "save" FreeBSD. People get interested and choose FreeBSD because it a great server OS, because of the ZFS support, jails, PF, stability and the coherent system overall. They would do more for adoption by just making sure most VPS hosting services have it as an option along Linux than wasting infinite money on supporting "laptops". See also [1], people are getting tired of that level of hypocrisy and waste of money. - [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/ive_been_going_through_the_freebsd_foundations/ https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/ive_been_g... - [1] https://unixdigest.com/articles/hypocrisy-and-politics-in-free-and-open-source-software-projects.html https://unixdigest.com/articles/hypocrisy-and-politics-in-fr...

calvinmorrison 5mo ago

whats more embarassing is the shit tier presentation slop. "This time I didnt just install FreeBSD. I create a system for learning and success". Anyone who wrote this has no business with FreeBSD or open source.

dburkland 5mo ago

As soon as I saw the title I immediately knew what the comment section would look like (and rightfully so).

dogcow 5mo ago

As a long time FreeBSD user, the Foundation has really failed to impress me in recent years. I lost faith in them back in 2018 during the "code of conduct" fiasco, when they wasted Foundation funds on a consultant for a code of conduct that nobody really asked for. Haven't donated since -- instead I redirected my donations to the OpenBSD project, which while less practical in many scenarios, is a technically superior product in my eyes. That said, I am glad to see them focusing their efforts on something useful, like laptop compatibility. Regardless, this is a really dumb post. 10 minutes a day is not "daily driving."

deleted 5mo ago
[deleted]
sunshine-o 5mo ago
According to [0] (I couldn't verify it to be clear) > Loren Gurkowski is the daughter of Deb Goodkin. > Her brother Drew Gurkowski started working for the FreeBSD Foundation as an intern in 2015 and continued as a consultant starting in 2018, until December 2024. If you founded a company I have no problem hiring yours kids. If you are elected or running a non profit relying on donations, you really have to be shameless to do that. - [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/comment/o9v90j5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button https://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/1rq0ucy/comment/o9...

phyzix5761 5mo ago

What a joke. When the Executive Director of your Foundation doesn't even use your product its a red flag.

jen20 5mo ago
… what a ludicrous take. If FreeBSD was a desktop OS this might be reasonable, but it’s simply not. This is akin to complaining that the executive director of the Linux Foundation (I assume) does not run Kubernetes on their toaster oven.
baq 5mo ago
Would you ridicule Eddy Cue and Jeff Robin (heads of iCloud, kinda) for not running iCloud on macOS?
- sph 5mo ago
  Would you not?
Danox 5mo ago
What is more of a joke is the fact that I remember a time when there were multiple computer companies that designed hardware and software (OS) and actually sold those items to the public 1980s early-late 1990’s all those companies are gone IBM (is but a shadow of its former self), Sun, Digital, Atari, Commodore Amiga, Next, Acorn, and SGI etc… At the time Next and SGI were completely unaffordable dreams when I was young. For the most part, no one has really picked up the gauntlet since aside from Apple on the desktop as a vertical computer company. Of course, pieces of the tech still live on notably from Next computers, Acorn (ARM) and SGI. I wish someone would use Linux as part of being a new vertical computer company OS and hardware on the desktop. Why? Baffling.

lowbloodsugar 5mo ago

Tried “a daily driver for at least 10 minutes a day”. lol. That’s not the definition of a daily driver. Thats something I really don’t want to do, like pushups.

DeathArrow 5mo ago

[flagged]

grigio 5mo ago
+1
stackghost 5mo ago
She's a former embedded firmware engineer, how much more technically inclined would you like her to be?

ksec 5mo ago

I mean I am happy if they kept FreeBSD to be Server focused. I have been using a Mac / Windows and deploying on Linux and FreeBSD, i don't see why both the consumer and the server / enterprise has to have the same OS stack all the time.

ssl-3 5mo ago
I don't see why the operating systems have to be different. One should be able to run a GUI on a "server," if they choose to do so. It's not arduous; here in 2026, servers are allowed to have GPUs. It's really OK. (My mom says we're even allowed to run LLMs on the FreeBSD server-box in her basement.) One should be able to run a stodgy, reliable database on a "desktop," if they choose to do so. That may be best with a good filesystem, redundant storage, and some ECC RAM. But it's good for desktop systems to have these things. (And ZFS is a built-in, first-class filesystem on FreeBSD.) I mean... It's not like we're talking about the difference between an IBM Multiprise 2000 and an SGI Octane here. Those days are over. We're mostly just using PCs for all roles these days. These PCs run the same code in the same ways, whether packaged and sold as "server" or "desktop" units. The CPU parts are frequently even cut from the same literal cloth: A "desktop" Ryzen CCD and a "server" Epyc CCD are born on the same wafer before being packaged up differently. The line betwixt server hardware and desktop hardware is presently murkier and less-defined than it ever has been before. Why should the operating system be different?
- em-bee 5mo ago
  on a server a GUI is optional. on a desktop/laptop a GUI is mandatory. supporting a GUI is more work. so if you are server focused, then why bother? making that effort only makes sense when you actually do want to also support desktops. and of course you can use a desktop device as a server. all my home servers so far have been desktop devices. but they never had a GUI because i had no use for it.
  - ksec 5mo ago
    Agree. Other than drivers, which Server OS will have less to deal with. I also wanted other point out GUI is the majority of the work and polish on consumer OS. Far more than what ever kernel, driver, filesystem sitting behind it. And that is ignoring the apps. Consumer OS is basically totally different beast, it is not that I don't want FreeBSD to go down that path. But given the limited amount of resources I would much rather they focus on doing something great.

polynomial 5mo ago

This is horrifying on so many levels even if you don't already know how the story ends.

AshamedCaptain 5mo ago

Ironically, drm-612-kmod has been pushed to ports a couple days ago (not quarterly yet) so you can now start using FreeBSD with really recent GPUs now from ... let's see ... 2024. This still makes it like the 3rd operating system overall when it comes to hardware support.

baq 5mo ago
That’s plenty good, it isn’t like anyone has the money to buy a new GPU

jruohonen 5mo ago

Does anyone know about power consumption? That's where Linux shines for laptops (probably nowadays better than Windows). (I have some old laptops, and as someone posted the other day the interesting thing about someone having LLM'ed a 802.11 driver, I'd might give it a go.)

netrap 5mo ago

FreeBSD does not have a desktop installer yet.. the powerpoint alludes to that being a coming feature though.. I think people here should chill out about her not using FreeBSD as the daily driver.. I use FreeBSD daily in my work, but no, I don't on desktop...

binary132 5mo ago

The writing is so on the nose it makes me wonder if Michael is mocking her.

nathanmills 5mo ago

[flagged]

WhyNotHugo 5mo ago

> FreeBSD Foundation's Executive Director has been trying to daily drive FreeBSD on laptops This sounds like a joke. Imagine if Bill gates said "he's going to try and daily drive Windows", or if Steve Jobs said "he's going to try and daily drive an iPhone". It seems crazy to me that a foundation behind an OS has executives who don't even use that OS.

beng-nl 5mo ago
Bill Gates: not perfectly ‘daily drives Windows’, but still: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41421018 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41421018

grigio 5mo ago

I understand the rants, but my main complain about freebsd today for me is the poor wifi firmware support (compared to Linux)

knewter 5mo ago

https://omfreebdy.dba.wtf https://omfreebdy.dba.wtf idk freebsd can be super nice on a laptop

daft_pink 5mo ago

Can Linux get the Mac level of close the shell and the battery doesn’t deplete on a laptop if you order a framework?

woleium 5mo ago
yes
budman1 5mo ago
I am ashamed to say that my mind could not understand these 'mac behaviors'. in my mind, closing the shell does not mean 'shut down the machine (or make it standby). maybe i have a job running. maybe i am ssh'ed into it. likewise, when it is opened up, why does it un-standby or turn on? very confusing that the computer thinks it knows what i want; when i can push the power button to turn it on, or /sbin/shutdown -h now when i want it off.

wltr 5mo ago

Today I learned the FreeBSD Foundation executive does not daily drive FreeBSD on laptop. (Without even opening the article.) This alone looks exceptionally weird for me.

red-iron-pine 5mo ago

> she tried FreeBSD as a daily driver for at least 10 minutes a day. > at least 10 minutes a day. > 10 minutes a day. this is a story? and she can only handle dogfooding her product in sub 1 hour intervals?